Variation

An article I read this week on quantamagazine.org focuses on what makes individuals unique. An experiment on fruit flies revealed that even when genetically identical, fruit flies show many variations in behavior. This is true even when the flies were raised in the exact same environment. Some strains of fly move together like well-trained soldier while other strains are like dancers, each moving to their own beat. Researchers have identified a gene that, when blocked, makes it more likely that a strain of flies will be dancers. Manipulating neurons in the flies’ brains led to even more variability. The flexible brains of human beings cause us to be much more effected by individual experiences. The smallest of variations at any point in life can lead to profound differences.
We are, without question, shaped by our experiences, environment, and the people we choose to be spend our time with. Some of these influences are under our control. Some are not. For that which is under our control, we must make choices that reflect knowledge of God’s intentions. In 1 Cor. 1:2 we read, “He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (NLT). We are to be dedicated to God in every aspect of our lives. Sometimes, even with good planning, life doesn’t turn out the way we want it to. In these times, Know that God “causes everything to work together for the good of those that love God” (Rom. 8:28, NLT). God works in all of life’s variations.

Compassion

     I read a report this week from the National Center for Family Homelessness (2014) that completely floored me. According to this report, 2.5 million children in the United States experience homelessness annually. 1 in 30 kids living in our country know what it means to have no place to call home. This 2013 figure is up from 1.6 million children in 2006. The rate of child homelessness is worst in Kentucky, where 1 in 15 children experience homelessness.

     A day after reading this report, I came across an article summarizing research from the University of California, Berkeley. In three different experiments, social scientists found highly religious people to be less motivated by compassion towards strangers than atheists, agnostics, and less religious people. (Anwar, 2012) Before you allow yourself to be angered and frustrated by this research, consider that UC Berkeley social scientist Robb Willer stated the more religious “may ground their generosity less in emotion, and more in other factors such as doctrine, a communal identity, or reputational concerns.” (2012)

     Are we more motivated by doctrine, duty, or how others perceive us than we are by compassion? In 1 John 3:17-18 we read, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” When we hear that 2.5 million children are homeless in our country, we should be driven by our compassion. Yes God commands me to look after the disenfranchised but without love, I am “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Cor. 13:1, NLT)

     During this holiday season and beyond it, find a place in your heart for the poor and “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matt. 19:21, NLT) God calls us to charity driven by compassion, supported by His word, and founded in true sacrifice. John W.

Nature Versus Nurture

     According to an article on the Wired website, (www.wired.com) a consumer genomics company called 23andMe was recently granted a patent for a system that would allow prospective parents to choose the traits of their offspring. This designer baby-making system would give parents the opportunity to pick the disease risk, hair color, athleticism, and expected lifetime health care costs of their children. 23andMe currently offers genomic analysis of more than 240 genetic traits that could potentially be pre-determined.

     Currently, with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, (PGD) doctors scan an embryo’s genome before it’s implanted in a woman. PGD is currently used to prevent genetic diseases and in some cases to choose a baby’s sex. Clinics that offer PGD don’t give customers a list of possible non-medically relevant traits.

     Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society, believes that “overestimating the importance of genes could lead people to underestimate the importance of everything else.” Genetics do not account for 100% of who we are. Much of who we are is due to our education, experiences, and choices. Deutoronomy 6:4-7 tells us that we are to repeat God’s commands to our children. We are to talk about them when we’re home and when we’re on the road, when we’re going to bed and when we’re getting up. 

     At Southwinds, we provide several excellent opportunities for children to learn about God and to grow in to mature followers of Christ. In addition to this, parents must continually share their faith with the children that they share their lives with. Children may make the wrong choices, but ultimately we are to direct our children so they may work out their salvation and obey God “with deep reverence and fear.” (Phil. 2:12, NLT)

Ce n'est pas un chrétien?

     René Magritte was a Belgian surrealist and is one of my favorite artists. You may recognize his piece entitled, “The Son of Man,” which features a man wearing a suit and bowler hat with a large green apple obscuring his face. Part of why I enjoy Magritte’s work is because it challenges our preconditioned ideas regarding reality. I personally require no less than three major reality checks daily. These checks often come when I view budgets, bank statements, and mirrors.

     Another of Magritte’s pieces (which I am happy to reference here, as I now own a t-shirt that parodies the work and tire of explaining it) is a deceptively simple painting of a pipe used for smoking, captioned with the phrase “Ceci n’est pas une pipe.” (translated from French: “This is not a pipe.”) An observer at first glance might say to herself or someone standing nearby, “Ummm... That is definitely a pipe. What’s the joke here?” The esoteric art critic would respond, “This is not a pipe but merely a painting that features an image of a pipe.” Queue your mind being blown or a possible “Meh.”

     In Ephesians 5:1-2, the writer tells his audience to “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do.” (NLT) We are to “live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.” I long attempted to over complicate my personal understanding of scripture by adding rules, traditions, and complex theology. Paul gives us the simple directive to imitate our Lord and Savior. We are to become not just an image or idea that reflects Christ, but we are to love as He loved when he gave his life on our behalf.

Let's Create TV

I came across a very interesting public access television show recently. If you aren’t familiar with public access, it allows average folks like myself to create content and broadcast it through cable television. It is perhaps a misnomer to refer to those broadcasting through public access as “average”. Often, they are anything but.
Artist John Kilduff hosts “Let’s Paint TV”, currently broadcasting through the Internet. Some episodes of the show are conventional, recorded sessions of Kilduff showing the viewer his process of oil painting. The show is famous for the live episodes, in which Kilduff paints while running on a treadmill, taking calls from viewers, making food, and blending drinks. He is quite the multi-tasker.
Kilduff, holding a masters of fine arts from UCLA in California, aims to encourage people of all skill levels to paint or become involved in another form of creative self-expression. Some have speculated that the show is an ironic piece of performance art but Kilduff is sincere about his mission. Though many call in to the show to express prejudice, curse, insult Kilduff, or make derogatory comments about rival gangs, Kilduff continues to take calls, paint, and run.
I emphasize the importance of creativity quite a bit as it’s become my passion. I think that everyone needs to find out where he or she fits in the work of God. Rom. 12:6-8 and several other passages emphasize our varied gifts. Creativity can be a weapon used to battle depression and other forms of adversity. Plenty of people who can’t talk, walk, or see lead fulfilling lives. If a particular path you’ve chosen isn’t working for you or some outside force is working against you, it often takes creativity to find your way to God.

Consider the Flintstones

I remember using the Internet in its earliest stages. I would walk several blocks while waiting for a single picture to download. When I sent e-mail, a bird flew out of the back of my computer and made a sarcastic comment about catching a flight to Cleveland. Oh wait, that was an episode of the Flintstones. You know, there is a number of individuals out there in today's world that simply would not tolerate "back talk" delivered by a kitchen appliance. If my baby elephant vacuum cleaner even considered saying something like "It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it," I'd have it returned to Marshall Flint's or JC Pennystone immediately.
I have a special attachment to the Flintstones in that my grandparents are the modern Stone Age family. My grandfather could not be any more like Fred Flintstone unless he decided to stop wearing shoes and propel his car with his bare feet. My grandparents spend all their time with my aunt and uncle who bear striking similarities to Barney and Betty Rubble. It's downright frightening. We won't let my grandfather go bowling for fear he will land the ball on top of his noggin or get his finger glued in its holes. I wonder if my grandfather has intimate conversations with a little green Martian that only he can see? It would explain quite a bit about him, really.
Matthew 6:25-30 was the passage written in a book given to me by a good friend and mentor. He wrote it knowing how I struggle with the worries of life on Earth. When life is not convenient for me, I get frustrated. I can barely remember how I lived without computers, a cell phone, and a digital audio player. There are always new worries. Life is not easy no matter how many solutions and fixes we find for it. However, God is always good and will always provide what we need if we depend on him.

Artificial Christianity

I spend quite a bit of my time attempting to invent modern conveniences to simplify every day life. Wouldn't it be sweet to have a clone or at least a highly sophisticated robot Doppelganger to replace you in some of your more mundane, daily duties? I would merely like him to cover for me at the office a few times each week. Sometimes I listen to myself speaking and I don't sound all that different from the artificial intelligence featured in U-Scans at local grocery stores, ATM machines, or Haley Joel Osment (look up that last reference). It's sad really. It's about as sad as the thought I just had that my favorite Meijer cashiers, "Flock of Seagulls Hair" or "Mullet Master," could one day be replaced by machines. At least California has a governor in office prepared for such a "rise of the machines." You know, I would settle for a robot that could make my bed. Why my parents were always so insistent on such a worthless task I will never know. Perhaps my father knows more than I give him credit for. Perhaps he wants to be presentable when the robot king visits to choose slaves worthy of his glory. Truly my imagination defeats my practicality at times.
Many things that Jesus said support the idea that he requires one’s full attention and support. In a world of quick fixes and short cuts, the Christian life is often expected to be easy. Life brings many hardships regardless of whether one chooses to follow Christ or not. The difference is that a Christian faces these difficulties with armed with the hope of salvation. In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus talks about the costs of following him. One who “looks back” when doing the work of the Lord is not fit to serve him. When a follower of Christ looks ahead, he or she is able to see joy in the future. God and his church support us in all we do. We don’t need robots or artificial intelligence to be the followers God wants us to be.